Nat Pagle - The consumate fisherman and lover of fine alcohol from across the land, Nat's irascible exterior belies a love of teaching.

The Black Prince - Black Prince Wrathion is the last of the black dragons. He has been known to richly reward those who earn his trust and support his endeavors.

New Mail Templates

Congratulations! - On behalf of the Steamwheedle Fighting Circuit, we congratulate you for your successes in this arena season. In recognition of your skill and savagery, we hereby bestow upon you this Cataclysmic Gladiator's Twilight Drake. May it serve you well.

Cleansing the Filth - Destroy any remaining horde in the ruins of Theramore. (optional) Lay to rest the remains of any fallen Theramore citizens.

Destroy the Destroyer - Destroy the horde siege engine that yet remains in the ruins of Theramore.

One Last Request - Retrieve the banner of Theramore from the horde shaman.

Mists of Pandaria Dungeon Journal Descriptions

Ook-Ook - Even for a hozen, Ook-Ook has a reputation for being uncouth and raucous. The monstrous creature and his cronies recently broke into the Stormstout Brewery and cracked open its precious beer casks to throw the greatest party of all time: the Ookfest.

Hoptallus - Hoptallus is the bane of farmers throughout the Valley of the Four Winds-a virmen of mythic proportions that can consume entire fields of crops in a single night. Word has spread that the giant pest and his offspring have infested the brewery and begun devouring its stores of rice and barley.

Yan-Zhu the Uncasked - In a desperate attempt to save the family brewery, Uncle Gao set about concocting what he believed would be the ultimate ale, a full-bodied elixir of depthless flavor. Yet his bold experiment resulted in a bitter and extremely volatile alemental creature, dubbed Yan-Zhu the Uncasked.

Saboteur Kip'tilak - The mantid are no strangers to warfare, using technology to turn the tide of battle. The pandaren stand little chance against munitions experts such as Kip'tilak, who strike deep behind enemy lines and threaten to destroy the already weakening fortifications from within.

Striker Ga'dok - The strikers are an aerial component of the mantid empire's massive army. Among them are seasoned aces such as Ga'dok. Able to singlehandedly rain fiery devastation upon scores of enemies, Ga'dok and his minions seek to bring death from above to the gates' defenders.

Raigonn - This colossal mantid spearheads the assault against the gates. Acting as a living battering ram, Raigonn mercilessly hammers the pandaren defenses, seeking to decimate any and all obstacles barring the mantid's ruthless invasion of Pandaria.

Houndmaster Braun - The quickest and surest way to detect the undead is by the scent of rot they carry, and even the most veteran soldier cannot match the olfactory sense of a hound. Houndmaster Braun has bred and trained a savage pack of canines to aid the crusaders in hunting down their foe--living and undead.

Armsmaster Harlan - The weapons of the Scarlet Crusade are many, and new initiates must be indoctrinated in the use of blade, hammer, arrow, and shield--effective tools against the undead. Armsmaster Harlan has dedicated his life to the art of wielding these indelicate instruments, and he is pleased to provide a demonstration for the Crusade's blasphemous enemies.

Flameweaver Koegler - Flameweaver Koegler trains the Scarlet Crusade's more magically minded adepts in the subtle applications of the arcane. Fire is his specialty, and he has used his skills to burn the order's historical tomes, erasing the Crusade's past failures. Apart from books, Koegler's flames have rendered many--undead, students, and trespassers alike--into piles of smoking ash.

Gu Cloudstrike - Before the escape of the sha, Gu Cloudstrike was entrusted with training the elite Shado-pan spellcasters. Now this formerly gentle and reserved pandaren revels in unleashing his astounding powers, with devastating consequences. He has asserted control over the mystical Azure Serpent, and his students are helpless in the wake of Cloudstrike's lethal attacks.

Master Snowdrift - Master Snowdrift recognizes that the battles between the Horde and the Alliance have contributed to the monastery's dire state. Heroes seeking this wary pandaren's loyalty must first best his students. Only those who prevail can face Snowdrift himself, a paragon of martial arts who has dedicated his life to attaining perfection of body and mind.

Sha of Violence - Bloodthirsty, ruthless, and savage, the Sha of Violence is unfettered within the Shado-pan Monastery. Feeding on the Horde and Alliance's brutality, the entity gleefully ravages the monks who struggle to impede the monstrous onslaught.

Taran Zhu - The Sha of Hatred has tainted Taran Zhu, the Shado-pan's pragmatic and mighty leader. Once devoted to protecting his beloved home, Zhu now burns with seething hatred for all life, twisting his perception of everything--and everyone--around him.

Wise Mari - The revered jinyu waterspeaker Wise Mari has found knowledge and foresight countless times in the Fountain of the Everseeing. But when the Sha of Doubt corrupted the familiar currents, Mari was overwhelmed with limitless distrust and suspicion.

Lorewalker Stonestep - The Sha of Doubt's minions gleefully invaded the Temple of the Jade Serpent's library, creating twisted, destructive versions of heroes and other characters of pandaren lore. Despite his best efforts, Lorewalker Stonestep has been unable to restore these manifestations of the past to their uncorrupted forms.

Liu Flameheart - Since she was a cub, the priestess Liu Flameheart has studied the cycle of rebirth for the Jade Serpent, Yu'lon. When the Sha of Doubt attacked, Liu was the first to resist, but she was also the first to succumb to corruption. Now she is consumed with uncertainty, fearing she may not have the strength to ensure Yu'lon's rebirth.

Sha of Doubt - The physical manifestation of suspicion was trapped in the Jade Forest after Emperor Shao Hao defeated the entity 10,000 years ago. The Sha of Doubt then grew obsessed with the Jade Serpent--Yu'lon, the Spirit of Wisdom and Foresight--and now delights in the thought of corrupting her home.

Thalnos the Soulrender - Thalnos earned repute in the Scarlet Crusade for the brutal torture methods he used to purify" new recruits. Ultimately the sadistic mage contracted the plague of undeath and arose as a fearsome skeletal being. The vengeful Thalnos now prowls the monastery's graveyard commanding apparitions and zombified creatures to attack anyone who trespasses on his unholy domain."

Brother Korloff - Brother Korloff first learned of the monk's deadly arts from pandaren ambassadors as they journeyed through Azeroth. When the crusader demonstrated this martial style to his superiors, they unanimously ordered Korloff to train an entire generation of initiates in the ways of the monk.

High Inquisitor Whitemane - At a young age, Sally Whitemane witnessed her family succumb to the horrific plague of undeath as they were traveling through northern Lordaeron. She was then forced to destroy her parents and siblings when they rose as mindless Scourge minions, leaving her racked by guilt and rage. Ever since that day, the fearsome priestess has found fulfillment and pleasure in only one thing: the destruction of undead.

The Stone Guard - The first line of defense against those daring to enter the vaults is a stolid row of enchanted, bestial statues. Hard as granite and ceaseless in their vigil, the sentries of the Stone Guard present an insurmountable wall of flame, fangs, and claws.

Feng the Accursed - Long ago, Feng Shri was the Mogu'shan Vaults' caretaker, tasked with preserving the treasures kept within these shadowy halls. After years of faithful service, he was caught stealing from the shelvesï¿½although some say he was framed by a jealous underlingï¿½and the mogu ruler punished him with a fatal curse. The doomed spirit of Feng Shri has wandered the vaults ever since, communing with the shades of past mogu heroes and warlords.

Gara'jal the Spiritbinder - Leader of the Zandalar trolls' assault on the vaults, Gara'jal is determined to crack open this trove of ancient mystery and bring back whatever arcane power and knowledge he can find. Gifted with dark talents and surrounded by a loyal cadre of Zandalar mystics, he has broken through the outer walls and will not rest until the vaults belong to him.

Elegon - Dedicated to the advancement of their empire, the mogu salvaged and repurposed titan technology to generate untold power in the depths of this ancient complex. Why these energies have been focused into the cold will of a celestial dragon is a mystery that lies at the very heart of the vaults.

Will of the Emperor - The core chamber of the vaults is protected by stone soldiers who have been motionless for centuries. They are row upon row of warriors, statues armed for a battle that never began. What treasures do they guard? And what is their tie to the titanic power buried with them here in the shadows?

Protectors of the Endless - When the Sha of Fear invaded the Terrace of Endless Spring, three venerated jinyu protectors were corrupted, and they betrayed the other mortal sentinels, slaying them all. The twisted guardians have now turned their attention to any intruders who might interrupt the sha's attack on the area's last defenses.

Tsulong - Legends speak of a spiraling, golden serpent that can sometimes be seen high in the sky, basking in the sunlight above the clouds. The few who claim to have observed it themselves say the creature is fiercely protective of the terrace.

Lei Shi - For countless years, this friendly water spirit frolicked in the Fountains of Endless Spring with childlike wonder and glee. When fighting suddenly broke out in this peaceful place, Lei Shi saw the crystal-clear water turn cloudy and murky, and terror fell over her mind.

Sha of Fear - The Sha of Fear is the physical manifestation of terror in Pandaria. Imprisoned by the legendary pandaren emperor Shao Hao long ago, the entity has been newly strengthened by rising conflict across the island.

Trial of the King - Ming the Cunning, Kuai the Brute, and Haiyan the Unstoppable have journeyed to the palace with their clans, vying to prove their worth to their king. Yet these mogu factions are plagued with bitter rivalries. Violence threatens to flood the palatial grounds unless the bickering clans can find a way to test their strength without coming to blows with one another.

Gekkan - As the mogu clans battle for supremacy, the cunning Gekkan leads his fearsome saurok raiding party into the palace's fabled treasure caches. Loyalty is not usually ascribed to these ruthless reptilian beings, but Gekkan's courage and tactical brilliance inspire a sense of honor in his soldiers.

Xin the Weaponmaster - The title of weaponmaster has many definitions among Azeroth's inhabitants. To Xin, it means that mogu weaponry obeys his every command. The king is more than willing to demonstrate his deadly skills to anyone who questions his right to rule Pandaria.

Sha of Anger - The Sha of Anger, the physical manifestation of rage, has escaped from the Shado-pan Monastery in Kun-Lai Summit. Amid the brutal conflicts gripping Pandaria, the dark entity has grown ever more powerful. Recently, the sha has been seen wandering Kun-Lai, using negative energies to corrupt everything the being encounters.

Salyis's Warband - The ruthless saurok roam Pandaria, stealing what they can and harassing the island's other inhabitants. The most infamous of these reptilian pillagers are Chief Salyis and his warband. For years, the saurok commander and his raiders have stormed through the Valley of the Four Winds atop Galleon, a colossal and well-armed mushan that is more a moving fortress than a simple mount.

Vizier Jin'bak - Vizier Jin'bak roams just beyond the mantid's natural bridge, collecting the tree root's precious sap. Using his vast alchemical knowledge, this formidable being is transforming the substance into weapons and other tools that will help advance the siege on Niuzao Temple.

Commander Vo'jak - What Commander Vo'jak lacks in strategic brilliance, he makes up for with raw ferocity. His devastating strikes were crucial to the mantid's exploitation of their insidious bridge, allowing them to infiltrate the island. Yet devising battle plans is for the mantid general; Vo'jak craves only blood.

General Pa'valak - The pragmatic General Pa'valak does not fear the pandaren or their allies, and he does not differentiate between using his own might and that of his mantid armies to defeat his enemies. Victory is the only honor he seeks, and Pa'valak will not tolerate failure should his minions fall short of their goal.

Wing Leader Ner'onok - Wing Leader Ner'onok's decisive blows have won a hundred battles. The small gains General Pa'valak has made are nothing compared to the victory Ner'onok believes he could achieve if he were in command. Although his aerial attacks have thus far devastated the temple's guardians, the winged terror still longs for a chance to prove his superiority over the general.

Imperial Vizier Zor'lok - Zor'lok shrieks his proclamations so they're heard throughout the sprawling mantid palace. He is the Voice of the Empress, and his words alone inspire the insectoid race's warriors to give their lives without question. Unwaveringly loyal, Zor'lok will stop at nothing to defend his beloved matriarch, regardless of the corruption within her.

Blade Lord Ta'yak - Ta'yak is known for his patience and intelligence. In battle, he is a master at discovering his opponent's weaknesses and awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike. Ta'yak's skill with a blade is unmatched, and he cherishes imparting his martial knowledge on young mantid warriors.

Garalon - It may be time to reconsider stepping on bugs. Don't make fun of this hulking behemoth's tiny wings; that'll just make him angry.

Wind Lord Mel'jarak - Wind Lord Mel'jarak commands the mantid's numerous aerial forces. Although he exudes arrogance, the cunning insectoid is fiercely protective of his soldiers and enjoys fighting at their side. Mel'jarak believes the mantid are superior to all other races, convinced that his kind cannot be defeated.

Amber-Shaper Un'sok - Eager to please his empress, Un'sok has produced several innovative concoctions. Yet this brilliant young alchemist's proximity to the mantid queen has allowed the sha's negative energies to take root in his mind. Now, Un'sok's overwhelming fear of failure drives him to create increasingly deadlier weapons.

Grand Empress Shek'zeer - The ancient Klaxxi order has come to a mournful decision: the tainted grand empress Shek'zeer must be deposed. Traditionally, mantid rulers are displaced in their old age by a carefully chosen successor. However, Shek'zeer's intended replacement is still too young and weak to unseat her, leaving the Klaxxi with no choice but to kill the current empress. If action is not taken against her soon, all of Pandaria may crumble before the mantid's ravenous swarms.

Nat considers you a %s. Nat likes to drink. Maybe if you find him some more rare fish, he'll share!

Friendship Levels

Stranger

Acquaintance

Buddy

Friend

Good Friend

Best Friend

Apprentice

Journeyman

Expert

Bro

Dog

Homie

Playa

New Loading Screen Tips

The Cooking trainers in Pandaria are located in the Halfhill Market in Valley of the Four Winds.

The Archaeology trainers in Pandaria are located in the Seat of Knowledge in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

The Inscription trainers in Pandaria are located in the library in the Temple of the Jade Serpent.

There are many activities you can do at max level, such as improving your reputation with various factions, improving your professions, daily quests, scenarios, dungeons, raids, or battlegrounds.

You can drag ability icons from the spec page, talent page or core ability page down onto your action bars.

You make a new character to try out a different race, class or faction. Many players call these characters alts.

The tank role focuses on controlling enemy creatures during group play. Tanks sacrifice high damage for high survivability.

The healer role focuses on keeping themselves and other members of the group alive.

The damage role (sometimes called DPS) focuses on defeating the enemy. Damage dealers are supported by tanks and healers.

Blue Posts

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Reasoning for the New Vendor Filtering?
Some of the vendors have so many items that they literally would not fit in the current UI. There is a max page size that is something reasonable. Now we could expand the number of pages a vendor shows, but honestly that doesn't seem like the best answer just so you could scroll through 22 pages of BoP gear to reach the plate armor that you can actually use.

It is intended that BoE or BoA items are always visible regardless of class. It sounds like that just isn't implemented yet.

We also need to do some additional polish to make sure the vendor remembers what your current filter settings were, at least for the current vendor or play session or something that will feel intuitive. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Death Knight (Forums)Death Knight Feedback FAQ
As promised, here are some responses to some of the more common DK questions we have seen. There are several threads on the topic, and I don't mean to suggest anything by posting here instead of somewhere else. It's also not possible to address every single (often contradictory) point brought up by every player, but hopefully this will give you some idea of where we are coming from.

Every DK is going to take talent X.
We haven't been convinced yet that that is the case. Please keep providing feedback on talents you like and don't like and we'll consider it.

Blood's AE threat is too weak.
Blood's AE threat should be comparable to other tanks and we'll make sure that that is the case. Remember that AE tank threat is intended to hold aggro against AE DPS threat. That is to say, if you have a DPS going to town on a single-target, your AE buttons are probably not sufficient to hold threat in those cases (otherwise there would be not distinction between a tank single-target and AE rotation). We don't want to buff Death and Decay for all DKs, but we could for Blood if needed.

I don't want to stance dance.
You shouldn't have to. Our intent with the Glyph of Shifting Presences is largely to make it easier for a DPS DK to go Blood to "turtle up." We don't want Frost and Unholy DKs to shift a lot between Frost and Unholy Presence. If you feel like the right thing to do is swap frequently between the two, that's not intended and something we'd want to fix.

What Presences should Frost and Unholy use then?
Dual-wield Frost should use Frost Presence. 2H Frost and all Unholy DKs should use Unholy Presence. Our thinking goes that a DK using a 2H will be flooded with more resources than they can spend unless they are in Unholy.

Unholy DKs lack burst AE.
There are numbers we worry about and there are numbers we don't. We want all specs to have comparable AE damage (and single target damage too). AE damage in particular is very sensitive to combat length. Different specs do better on short AE cycles than long AE cycles, and we're okay with that. If you aren't AE'ing for very long, then Frost DPS will probably beat Unholy. We're okay with that. We aren't trying to guarantee DPS to be identical in all situations, or else the classes and specs really start to blend together. Overall, Unholy's damage is designed around lots of abilities, including managing diseases, so none of those abilities are going to hit super hard on their own.

Why doesn't the Gargoyle scale with mastery?
Because it ultimately doesn't need to. We want mastery to affect portions of damage (or healing) and not just be a +10% damage stat that scales perfectly no matter what you do. If the Gargoyle does more damage for DKs with comparatively low mastery, we don't think that's a problem. Now if the Gargoyle damage isn't high enough across the board (especially in PvE -- it's still useful in PvP) then we can buff it.

I don't like that Killing Machine devalues crit and that I can waste it on Frost Strike instead of Obliterate.
We make abilities guarantee crit when they hit for really hard damage. The alternative is their damage is unpredictable, which can cause balance problems especially in PvP. We think there are plenty of tuning knobs to make sure crit (and haste and mastery) are all relatively valuable for Frost. As far as Obliterate goes, using KM the most efficient way is one of those mechanics we put in to elevate some players or rotations over others. The most interesting rotations (for any class) carry some risk of failure (and by “failure” I mean inefficiency not a total collapse of your DPS). There are times when you may want to Frost Strike on a Killing Machine. If you really want to Obliterate instead, you can hold the attack for a second or two. If you “fail” and “waste” a KM on the occasional Frost Strike, your DPS won't drop that much.

Soul Reaper needs to do Shadowfrost damage.
We made a couple of talents do Shadowfrost damage because we want them to be of relatively equal value for both Frost and Unholy. That's not necessary of core abilities, because there is no risk of a given player not taking the ability. We're fine with Shadow doing more damage in execute-range, so long as Frost's damage is higher the rest of the time to make up for it.

Army of the Dead feels weak.
That's entirely possible. It's on a long cooldown so there's no reason it should feel wimpy. There is probably plenty of room to buff it.

Runeforging is boring.
We agree that this feature has not lived up to its potential. We still have plans to address it, though it's not on our "must fix" list for Mists. The current system works fine and we'd rather not monkey with it unless we have a system that we are certain will be an improvement. We don't want to cause a lot of confusion about which runeforges various DKs are supposed to use.

I hate casting Unholy Frenzy on Fury warriors.
I'm not quite sure I understand the issues with this concern. Unholy Frenzy is haste (not attack speed, but actual resource-generating haste). There should be plenty of classes who like haste. Even today we see a lot of guilds just use it on their highest DPS player, which often is not the Fury warrior. We'd like to keep the design as a buff you can put on someone else, just because that's what it was back in the Warcraft RTS days.

Why is Plague Leech a dps increase compared to the other talents?
It isn't intended to be. All of those talents are rune conservation talents. Roiling Blood gives you free Pestilence. Unholy Blight likewise saves you disease runes.

Also Unholy Frenzy isn't that useful when it's optimal for the class to stack Haste already, plus Fury gets the large Mastery bonus from it being an Enrage.
Hmm, that's not intended. Enrage means an awful lot of warriors for now. It's probably not necessary that Unholy Frenzy needs to be dispelled in PvP anyway so we can just make it not an Enrage. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

MMO-ReportThe MMO Report is back with information about PlanetSide 2, Diablo III, and Defiance.

"Oh, who does my hair? You might have heard of my stylist. It's called the Void!"
"No matter how much you plead I will not sprout tentacles or turn into a giant eyeball. Well, I might. But not because you asked!"